If you want to know “is it better to paint or stain a deck” then you need to answer this one question…
Are you ok to have a deck that bubbles and peels?
Well that’s exactly what could happen if you paint your deck instead of staining it…
Not sure you believe me?
Well let’s see if I can shed some light on the situation…
Why painting your deck is a bad idea…
Did you know that whenever you paint timber deck that is outside and exposed to the harsh sun and rain, that you need to paint every surface of the timber or it won’t be protected?
That’s the case if you want to paint your deck or your fence…
It’s true…
Here’s what happens if you paint your deck…
You can only paint the top surface and possibly the sides of your deck but the bottom is left unprotected.
Now you’d think that the bottom is ok because it’s not exposed to the weather.
But here’s the thing…
When it rains, the water will fall between the boards and pool on the ground below the deck. When the weather starts to heat up a little bit, moisture will form on the bottom surface of your decking boards.
That water will soak up from the bottom and work it’s way to the top surface, right under your perfect paint job…
And you know the thing about paint?
It doesn’t absorb into timber, it only sits on the surface like a film…
So when that water starts to soak up from the bottom, there’s nothing to stop it from making its way to the surface so you end up with your paint bubbling and peeling and leaving an ugly mess…
Some painters will argue that a quality paint will last longer than a stain or oil but think about this…
The same painters will also tell you that once you paint your deck it’s extremely hard to remove the paint….
So lets say your painted deck lasts a couple years longer than a stain or oil before it cracks and peels.
And one things for sure, no matter what you put on your deck, it will eventually fade and peel then need to be removed and done again….
Nothing lasts for ever…
How do you then remove paint from a deck when the paint starts to peel off?
It’s extremely difficult to get the paint off or even stop the paint from bubbling and peeling…
A stain or oil on the other hand, can easily be removed with a sander or chemical scrub…
And if you give your deck a fresh coat of oil every year, it’ll last a lot longer and still be easy to sand off when the time comes to do it again.
What happens when your paint starts to fade?
You can give it a fresh coat of paint…
But keep in mind, every coat of paint you put on your deck, the thicker the coating is and the harder it will be to remove.
Why you should use a stain or oil instead…
Now let’s look at what happens when you use an oil or stain to protect your deck…
Deck oils and stains actually get absorbed into the surface of your decking boards.
They don’t penetrate the timber very deep but they do absorb into the surface. Which means they aren’t sitting on the top of the board like a film…
So when the water soaks up through the exposed bottom, it won’t be able to get all the way to the surface and cause your deck coating to bubble and peel…
So that’s why it’s better to use a stain or oil instead of fence paint on your deck…
There is one thing you need to know before you stain your deck…
If you apply the oil or stain the wrong way on your decking, it will act just like paint and peel off…
More is not better…
You only want to apply as much oil as your deck can absorb and no more…
If you put down too much oil or stain, it can be sticky for months…
Plus it’ll form a film just like paint and at first it’ll look great…
But after a couple of months of walking on it…
And after the sun and rain beat down on it…
Your perfect deck will start to peel and fade…
But you’re in luck because there’s an easy way to avoid this. There’s a technique that I call the “Brush on, Brush off Technique”…
The first step of this technique is to throw away the lambswool applicator and your paint roller. These two applicators put the stain down way too heavy.
You wanna be using this special applicator called a Deck Brush Applicator…
Why is this so special?
Well, because it allows you to apply only as much stain as your deck can absorb and then remove any extra sitting on the surface.
It’s too hard to explain this technique, I’ll have to show you how I do it…
If you wanna see the Brush on, Brush off Technique in action here’s what you need to do…
Send me an email to [email protected] and let me know that you want to know about my top secret “Brush on, Brush off Technique
If you don’t email me and let me know what info you want, I can’t give you the answers you so desperately crave…
Either way, I glad to be of assistance…
Sincerely,
Jason – The Brush on , Brush off King…
Need some Expert Advice?
If you’ve been searching the internet trying to find an answer to a specific deck problem and you’ve found it impossible to get a straight answer…
Why not just reach out and ask me directly for an answer?
I’ve got 10 years of deck knowledge crammed into my noggin. I can pretty much guarantee I’ve got an answer to your problem just rattling around in there…
Come on, don’t be shy…
FAQ’S
Your deck railing are a different beast to the deck itself. You can easily paint all surfaces of your railing which means they would be protected properly with paint. Your railing aren’t exposed to the same punishment as your decking boards so paint could be a great option if that’s the look your after…
If you paint over stained wood the paint won’t adhere to the surface of your decking boards and will peel and crack off. It’s a good idea to always coat your deck in the same product you used previously. If you have a deck that is stained and you want to change it to paint, its a great idea to sand it back first…
Painting a deck is not a good idea. It won’t protect your decking properly and it’s a tough job to strip the paint off when it starts to peel and crack. It’s a better idea to use a decking oil or stain and re-coat once a year.
When you stain a deck you want to put down only as much as your deck can absorb. If you use a roller to stain your deck the coating will be too thick. A thick coating sounds like a great idea but it’s not. The stain will sit on the surface of your deck instead of absorb into the board and will peel and flake off.
The easiest way to stain a deck is to use a deck brush applicator and use the brush on, brush off method. You want to put down 2 to 3 thin coats of stain. Put down only as much as your deck can absorb…
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